[HTML][HTML] mTORC1 activation in lung mesenchyme drives sex-and age-dependent pulmonary structure and function decline

K Obraztsova, MC Basil, R Rue, A Sivakumar… - Nature …, 2020 - nature.com
K Obraztsova, MC Basil, R Rue, A Sivakumar, SM Lin, AR Mukhitov, AI Gritsiuta, JF Evans…
Nature Communications, 2020nature.com
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare fatal cystic lung disease due to bi-allelic
inactivating mutations in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC1/TSC2) genes coding for
suppressors of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). The origin of LAM
cells is still unknown. Here, we profile a LAM lung compared to an age-and sex-matched
healthy control lung as a hypothesis-generating approach to identify cell subtypes that are
specific to LAM. Our single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis reveals novel …
Abstract
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare fatal cystic lung disease due to bi-allelic inactivating mutations in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC1/TSC2) genes coding for suppressors of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). The origin of LAM cells is still unknown. Here, we profile a LAM lung compared to an age- and sex-matched healthy control lung as a hypothesis-generating approach to identify cell subtypes that are specific to LAM. Our single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis reveals novel mesenchymal and transitional alveolar epithelial states unique to LAM lung. This analysis identifies a mesenchymal cell hub coordinating the LAM disease phenotype. Mesenchymal-restricted deletion of Tsc2 in the mouse lung produces a mTORC1-driven pulmonary phenotype, with a progressive disruption of alveolar structure, a decline in pulmonary function, increase of rapamycin-sensitive expression of WNT ligands, and profound female-specific changes in mesenchymal and epithelial lung cell gene expression. Genetic inactivation of WNT signaling reverses age-dependent changes of mTORC1-driven lung phenotype, but WNT activation alone in lung mesenchyme is not sufficient for the development of mouse LAM-like phenotype. The alterations in gene expression are driven by distinctive crosstalk between mesenchymal and epithelial subsets of cells observed in mesenchymal Tsc2-deficient lungs. This study identifies sex- and age-specific gene changes in the mTORC1-activated lung mesenchyme and establishes the importance of the WNT signaling pathway in the mTORC1-driven lung phenotype.
nature.com